"Do nothing to smear its grandeur... Keep it for your children. Your children's children and all who come after you. As the one great sight which every American should see." -Theodore Roosevelt
"Wild Life" in the Canyon is this week's theme for my last few weeks at the Grand Canyon, both in and around the south rim, and Mather campground. Nothing to "wild" happens in the campground, but there are some funny and rewarding things that go on. There is also an abundance of wildlife such as squirrels, elk, and of course the ravens to see.
I took the 3 day break I had this week and enjoyed bike rides out to Hermit's Rest and the South Kaibab trail head. I also hiked down to the 3 mile rest house on the Bright Angel trail to have lunch and celebrate (albeit late) the one year anniversary of the backpack trip my sister, Deborah Reeves, and I shared a year ago June 2013. The above picture is where I stopped, had lunch, rested, and talked with other hikers. The view was the same when Deborah and I stopped at this same place. We are one of the 1 percenters when it comes to the Grand Canyon. Of the 4.5 million visitors each year only a lucky 1 percent actually backpack down and camp at the bottom of the canyon at the Bright Angel campground. We shared that experience and can claim that title.
On the way back up the trail, I ran across this little critter. It's hard to see as the squirrel is naturally hidden in the thorny berry bush. The squirrel was munching away on berries and could care less about me. In some way it's a little worrisome as to how the creatures in the canyon have become so accustom to humans. But at the same time it provides a neat opportunity for visitors to see the animals up close and personal.
The next morning I was surprised when I opened the door heading out to do my rounds. Mr. Elk was out in the campsite next to me taking a probably well deserved rest. This time of year the bull elk have new antlers covered in velvet. They spend most of the day eating and trying to rub off the velvet using trees and small bushes. The cow elk are with the young calves and can be seen around the park. These are big animals weighing up to 800 lbs.
The following day I took a trip out to the Desert View area to meet the campground host. I ran into Bill as I was driving into the campground. Visually Bill has the look of Santa Claus with his big grey beard, round mid-section and cheeks. Desert View has a small campground of 50 sites and you can see Bill takes pride in it. It's located on the very eastern edge of the park with views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado river carving to the west. Navajo and Hopi lands are to the east along with the Painted Desert.
The jewel of Desert View is the tower. The tower was built in the 1930's by architect Mary Colter for the Fred Harvey company. Just an FYI, Mary Colter designed many building and structures around the Grand Canyon National Park to include the small structure with the hugh fireplace at Hermit's Rest and the cottages at Phantom Ranch. She can be seen throughout the park.
Inside and painted on the tower walls are some beautiful, southwest Hopi Indian art. This area is known as the Kiva room and you can see logs that were brought from Mesa Verde and the old Grandview Motel. The paintings and murals were painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie and artist Fred Greer.
That evening I stopped at the Grandview overlook to watch the sunset. This overlook is where the trailhead to the old Last Chance copper mine is located. After the mine was closed (to difficult and expensive to move the copper ore from the canyon) the claim owners built the Grandview Motel. I didn't see any remains of the motel, but the old Grandview trail still exists. You can hike and camp down on Mule Mesa. It's only 3 miles straight down (a 3,000 foot drop in elevation).
The sunset from Grandview was great. From this vantage point you are east looking west into the canyon. As the sun started down the eastern walls of the canyon turned red and purple. It's hard to capture this with my Lumix camera. You'll just have to come out and see it for yourself. About 7:25 the sun started to set. The day was ending and I headed back to Mather for dinner.
"Wild Life" at Mather - People are funny. Part of my role as the campground host is to rove through the campground, stopping to say "Hello", and of course keep the park clean for the guests. I enjoy stopping, talking, and just getting to know the people. Where the come from, where they are going, answering any questions and providing directions for their daily plans.
I also have to look for infractions of park rules and ask the guests to correct it. I like to do this before the law enforcement Rangers have to be involved. Most people are very glad to take care of things. They want to keep the park clean and wildlife safe. BUT, there are always those that do it be-grudgingly.
The funniest one this week was a gentleman who had run several electrical extension cords from the nearby bathroom. I received a call on the radio from maintenance and rode down to talk with the camper. As I turned the corner you could see red extension cords running down the road and into their tent. I stopped and introduced myself to the man and his family. I informed him that he couldn't have the extension cords running into his tents from the bath house. Mather campground doesn't provide electrical to the sites and informed him that he would have to remove them. I offered to help, but he refused. He asked what's the difference in plugging his phones into the wall outlets of the bathrooms? I informed him that if this was allowed we'd have extension cords running all through the park and that wouldn't be pretty, not to mention a hazard to others and wildlife. He then started in as to how the park was the worst he'd visited and that he wanted to lodge a complaint. I politely provided directions to the National Park HQ on the park. I said that the park would love to hear his recommendations. He then started in saying, "This is America we have lots of money. This isn't a budget issue, we have lots of money." I then stated, very politely, "Sir, there is a budget problem. The government currently has a $17 trillion dollar deficit and this has impacted the park services along with other government agencies." He looked puzzled and said, "Where did all the money go? This is America." I politely recommended he talk to his local politicians about the budget, thanked him and rode off.
I'll close with a good story about people. Early in the week a European couple stopped at the kiosk and said they had a tent and two sleeping bags they wanted to donate. It would be to expensive to ship and they didn't want to throw it out. I took the items and locked them in the shed. The next day a couple came in for their reserved campsite. The young man asked me if there was a place to get a tent. He explained that their tent was stolen a few days ago. I gave them the tent and sleeping bags and asked that they return it the next day. The next morning, I checked with the Rangers and they said the young couple had checked out without leaving the tent and sleeping bags. I rode down to the campsite to see if they had left the items on the table. I'll admit I was a little disappointed. The Rangers said I'd never see it again. I told them I had faith. A few minutes later the couple rode up and I walked out to greet them. They thanked me again and again. They asked for some directions and then rode off.
My faith in mankind was rewarded!
